


I just wanna lift you up

by katienelly



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 08:45:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13431132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katienelly/pseuds/katienelly
Summary: After an exhausting and dangerous mission, Maggie comes home to a warm bath and her amazing, caring girlfriend.(Title from "Only Love" by PVRIS)





	I just wanna lift you up

**Author's Note:**

> Not my first fanfic, but my first work posted on ao3. All comments appreciated!  
> Head to my tumblr --> @giant-black-cat-huh and leave a prompt if you like :)  
> Check out also my writing tips tumblr --> @will-come-in-handy  
> In the meantime, enjoy Sanvers
> 
> (they're endgame)

It was a bad day. It was a bad mission from start to finish. 

Because none of the kids at the elementary school were supposed to get into the line of fire, none of them should have been in danger. The alien who broke into the bank was supposed to be caught. And he almost was. 

Almost. Because just as Maggie was reaching for her handcuffs, the ceiling, damaged by the explosion the alien created to break into a safe, fell down cutting off the light and fogging the room enough for him to escape. That's the first thing Maggie blames herself for - that she wasn't fast enough to cuff him - and not the last one. 

Because then the alien didn't care about money to steal. He got furious and attacked a public school just as the kids were walking out of the building. When Maggie's team arrived, he had already blown up a wall with his self-made laser gun, which almost killed four kids that were playing nearby. That's the second thing Maggie blames herself for. That the children almost died. 

But then she ran to the playground and guarded the kids with her own back, leading them to some safe place, and maybe even that was a mistake, maybe she should have just tried and shoot this guy right away, because then he blew up a few benches, one just on her left, and the pieces of it hit her in the ribs and in the back so hard that she collapsed. That's the third thing Maggie blames herself for. That she collapsed. 

And her teammate helped her, but he got grazed by the laser trying to pick her up. And the kids were screaming, terrified, and defenseless, and innocent in this nightmare, and she collapsed again just next to her partner, heaving and panting, with vision blurred. And she just can't not blame herself for that, can she? 

Supergirl swooped in right after, taking care quickly of the alien and freezing his gun. In less than a minute she had him knocked out and ready to be transported to the DEO, and how could Maggie not blame herself for not being the one to catch him and pack into the car? 

How could she let him escape in the first place? 

How could the mission she was leading go so terribly? 

How could she lead it so badly?

Those questions are clouding her mind as she finally gets out of the police ambulance with the hundredth "I'm fine" and "It's nothing", and another "It's just a scratch", and makes her way home. She sends Alex a text saying she's going to be at hers in a few minutes and asks if she should buy some food. Alex's reply that she has already done it gets registered by her brain only after she automatically enters a small Indian diner she usually picks up food from. She steps out immediately, too tired to care about the people's stares. She just wants to get home already. Drink something strong. Maybe loose her cool on the punching bag Alex has recently hung in her apartment. Because it took a long while for Alex to start wanting to train at home where she could count on Maggie, instead of Kara or J'onn, to stop her if she started to reach her own limits. And it took Maggie even longer to trust herself enough to lose her cool around Alex. To trust herself to let Alex see that side of her. 

But how could she fail so awfully today?! 

Ironically to her exhaustion, every following step she takes is faster and loaded with more anger. She makes it to the right block and for once takes the stairs. When she finally steps through the door, she shuts it with a quiet thump and lets her forehead drop on the hard wood with a deep sigh. She can already feel the tears coming, caused by all the stress, the fear, the blame, the exhaustion, which is a new method of coping she's just started to get used to - instead of drowning her emotions in scotch, she finds release in just letting the tears fall. And she would be embarrassed to admit that, she would probably deny it in front of her colleagues, her boss obviously, but she can't neither hide or be ashamed of it in front of Alex. Not when she's always there to hold her. 

And Maggie can't see her yet, she hasn't looked up since she entered, but she can feel her, hear her actually. There's a sound of running water coming from the bathroom and the smell of lavender reaching her nostrils, but what catches her attention is the quiet humming, the perfect voice that makes her sore muscles relax a little bit. 

She finally kicks off her shoes and puts her badge and gun down when Alex's voice becomes clearer, closer until Maggie feels her tender fingers on her waist, asking silently to touch her, but still letting her decide when to turn around. 

"I prepared you a bath." Alex murmurs into her shoulder, kissing it gently. 

"How did you-?"

"I spoke with Kara on the phone." 

Nothing more has to be said for Maggie to slowly start falling apart. Firstly, a quiet sob shakes her whole body, then her cheeks are wet with tears and the vision gets blurry, so she doesn't notice when Alex pulls her into an embrace, she just feels her arms surround her and Alex's whisper:

"I've got you."

She's got her. Alex has got her. 

And Maggie wants to eventually turn around to face her, but Alex's hand grazes one of the bruises on her lower back and Maggie flinches with a hiss. 

Alex immediately takes her hands off her body, eyeing the upper part of it with deep concern.

"I'm fine, just... " She sniffles. "It's just a bruise. "

Alex winces but doesn't ask. She shifts so she can face Maggie and cradles her head to her shoulder, while Maggie nuzzles her nose into Alex's collarbone. After a few moments of shallow breaths and silent sobs, Maggie pulls back slightly. 

"I destroyed your shirt" she blurts out noticing the wet spot on Alex’s clothing.

Alex just shakes her head and smiles softly. 

"Come with me."

Walking backwards, Alex leads Maggie by her hands to the bathroom, keeping their eyes locked. Once they're inside, she turns off the water and leaves the door slightly open. 

"Can I?" she asks, hand hovering over the edge of Maggie's shirt. 

She accepts the nod she's given and starts to slowly lift the shirt, uncovering each bruise, one after another. By the time the material hits the floor, she manages to count two on Maggie's ribs and one on her bicep, and catch a glimpse in the mirror of another four on her back. Some have already started to fade into green, some remain red or purple, either way they look painful. 

Alex knows where all of them come from. Kara told her. But she also knows how Maggie doesn't like petty and won't let her watch for much longer. So she slowly unbuckles Maggie's belt and helps her take the pants off and tosses them aside. 

Her eyes don't leave Maggie's while she unhooks her bra, seeking with concern for any sign of protest. She gets none as Maggie lets her take off also her underwear and guide into the bathtub.

A deep sigh leaves Maggie's lungs once she sits down, almost disappearing amidst the foam, but Alex doesn't miss the wince on her face.

The hot water burns every inch of Maggie's skin, every bruise, the pleasurable scent of lavender in the air contrasting with the pain of fresh memories of the day. 

When Maggie opens her eyes, it's to Alex sitting on the floor and facing her. Her gaze wonders carefully over the detective's face, shoulders, collarbone. 

"I'm sorry..." Maggie's hoarse voice cuts through the silence and drowns in the foam in front of her. 

"What for?" 

Maggie looks up to find her heart twitch at the tilt of Alex's head. The simple movement Alex has adapted from her. 

"Everything. That the alien got away, that he attacked the school-" 

"It is none of your fault." 

"Not true. These kids almost died..."Maggie whispers, tears almost falling down her cheeks again. 

"You saved them" Alex emphasizes, reaching immediately to cup Maggie's cheek in her palm. The gesture makes Maggie's close her eyes and lean into the touch seeking the comfort she knows she doesn't deserve. "And the alien got caught, all thanks to you and the team you lead."

Alex doesn't realize she hit a sensitive spot until she loses the contact with her girlfriend's skin. 

Maggie turns away and clams up by hunching her legs to her chest. Suddenly she finds the white steamed tiles more bearable to watch than Alex's pitiful eyes.

"I failed them." Her voice breaks and echoes in the bathroom. "Bowers got shot, several of them got pinned down by the debris for hours. It- it was dangerous to enter that bank after the explosion, but I ordered them to do it anyway. I was so stupid and-… they could've died." She doesn’t bother to wipe the tears that fall down her face again.

No response this time doesn't surprise her. What she hears instead is shuffling by her side and after a few moments she feels a gentle touch on her shoulder prompting her to shift forward. Once there's enough room behind Maggie, Alex steps into the bathtub. The water immediately spills over the edges sending a wave of foam down to the floor, as she settles down with her legs on each side of Maggie's curled body, but none of them squeal in surprise like the last time they bathed together. Maggie only frowns. And when she feels Alex's soft, careful hands on her waist, it burns more that the hot water, but not in the same way it did the last time. She wants them there and all over her body, but not for the same reasons she did the last time. She wants to feel the pain of the bruises. She deserves to. 

Nevertheless she's relived to find Alex's touch relaxing her tense muscles. No medicine could take the pain away like Alex’s fingers, brushing their way gently up Maggie’s back, avoiding somehow the most painful places and resting on her shoulders, while soft lips make contact with the skin that glows just above the surface of the water. Alex peppers light kisses everywhere she can reach until she hears Maggie whimper in both pleasure and despair.

"My brave detective Alex murmurs into Maggie's neck.

That’s when Maggie breaks again. 

Her body is overtaken by shudders and silent sobs as she leans back into Alex’s arms and finally let’s herself fall apart and cry. Alex comforts her, coos softly and keeps kissing her temple, her cheek, her jaw and the side of her neck. 

They stay entangled for long enough to realize that the water has turned cold and the foam has disappeared. The only sound remaining in the bathroom is Maggie’s quiet sniffling.

“We should get up before we both get sick.” She whispers.

”Maggie…”

She opens her eyes and looks up shyly at Alex.

”I want you to know that this is not your fault. Your decisions are important in the field, but you can’t control everything that happens.” She cradles her face in her hands looks intently into her eyes as to make sure Maggie understands. 

Maggie nods as her bottom lip trembles slightly, but she doesn’t argue this time. Alex takes it as a good sign. 

They stay in the water for another moment before untangling from each other and getting up cautiously. Alex is the first to step out of the bathtub. She wraps herself in a towel and reaches for another one holding it spread widely for Maggie, who steps out as well and rushes immediately into her open arms and Alex wraps them around her tightly, and kisses her forehead. 

Not long after, they’re both lying in bed curled up against each other, Alex with Maggie’s head under her chin, hands roaming gently over her naked back since they were both too tired to dress up after exiting the bathroom. Maggie sighs deeply into her girlfriend’s chest and smiles softly against it as she shifts closer for warmth. 

”All in all, you should have seen how Kara dealt with this guy. He was absolutely defenseless against her. She just blew this icy wind at him and… He was caught.”

She feels Alex chuckle in her arms.

“Yeah, she mentioned something about that. And Winn texted me saying he already sent a footage of how she did it.”

Maggie’s smile grows wider. She sighs again.

“At least he got caught…”

“He did, he’s gone.”

“And the kids are safe…”

“They are. Thanks to you.”

There’s a moment of silence in which Alex thinks Maggie has already fallen asleep, but then she hears:

“Thank you, Alex.”

“Always, babygirl.”

She places a kiss to Maggie’s hair.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> (not a native English speaker, cut me some slack, please <3)


End file.
